


our coming of age (has come and gone)

by salsayourface



Category: Teenage Bounty Hunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, F/F, Post-High School, Stormed In, Truth or Dare, church camp, quick and sweet not very angsty, summer between high school and college
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26343652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salsayourface/pseuds/salsayourface
Summary: April Stevens very specifically asked to work with anyone, literally anyone, except Sterling Wesley at camp this summer. So of course, who does she get partnered with but her sworn enemy? To make matters worse, a thunderstorm has just settled over the camp, trapping the two of them in the staff house until further notice.ora summer (church) camp au meets a snowed (stormed) in au
Relationships: April Stevens/Sterling Wesley
Comments: 58
Kudos: 478





	our coming of age (has come and gone)

**Author's Note:**

> howdy, y'all! it hasn't even been a week since I finished binging this show, and yet here I am lmao. life comes at you fast, amiright!
> 
> quick setting clarification, the events of the show didn't happen in this fic - sterling and april are basically the characters they were at the start of the show. just imagine that nothing ever changed for them, and now they find themselves working together at camp the summer after their senior year.
> 
> (also, disclaimer, this is much more a stormed in au than a summer camp au. summer camp is more the backdrop than the central trope.)

Lightning flashes bright, briefly illuminating the dimly lit room where April Stevens sits in the far corner at a round table. Bible, notepad, and writing utensils laid out neatly in front of her, she thoughtfully traces her yellow highlighter across a verse. On the other side of the room, Sterling is curled up asleep atop an old worn-out sofa that has been in the same spot since it was haphazardly dropped there by two counselors in the late nineties.

A sudden crack of thunder makes them both jump in their seats as the once dim lights flicker into darkness. A low rumbling carries on as they turn to look at each other.

Sterling sits up on one elbow, sluggish from the rude awakening. “I guess the power’s out.”

“Hence the sudden lack of light,” April nods, catching her breath.

Sterling rolls her eyes. “The power will be out all over camp, including the units where our kids are taking showers right now.”

April tenses. “Astute observation,” she says, reaching across the table to grab her phone from where it’s still plugged in, though no longer charging. “I was just about to text Hannah B to make sure they’re okay, and we can just make a run for it back to the campsite.”

Sterling stands and walks to the window.

“Um, April. I’m not sure a run-for-it is going to cut it.”

The rain is coming down fast and hard, already creating a muddy lake in the ditches on either side of the road. And as if the Good Lord Himself just wants to prove a point, lightning flashes once again, accompanied by heavy thunder and a cringed look on April’s face.

“Fine,” she sighs. “I’ll call Ellen and see if we can get a ride.”

The phone screen shines bright in the dark room as April scrolls through her contacts searching for the camp director’s name. Sterling continues to face out the window, staring down the storm like she’s trying to figure out her best strategy to beat it in a fight.

April stiffens when the rings cease and she hears a friendly “Well hello!” on the other end of the call. “Hi, Ellen. It’s April. Sterling and I were on our allotted one hour break in the staff house when the power went out. We were wondering if we could get a ride out to the unit so -”

As April nods along to Ellen’s words, Sterling turns from the window to face her.

“Yeah, of course,” April says. “Blair and Hannah B are with our group now, but we’re sort of stranded here. If the ranger has the truck, we can just try to make a run for it or maybe -”

April’s face remains blank while Ellen’s muffled voice hums on the other end of the call. She takes a few steps toward the couch and begins pacing.

“I understand. Yes, of course we’ll be fine, but Hannah B and Blair are the only ones with our campers now, and I’m not sure they can handle -”

April pauses her steps, running her tongue along the front of her teeth as she listens. She nods before she actually speaks.

“Okay. Yes. Understood. Thanks, Ellen.”

April ends the call and turns the brightness down on her phone, tossing it on the couch with a huff just before she throws herself in the same direction. Sterling takes a step towards her and looks at April expectantly.

“So…” Sterling prompts her.

“So, get comfortable because we’re stuck here for the duration of the storm.”

Sterling nods once and drops herself to the other side of the couch.

“Okay.”

April’s eyes flick to Sterling for just a moment before she closes them with a sigh. “Okay.”

* * *

Sterling Wesley had been in April’s orbit one way or another for as long as she could remember. While Atlanta was not a small town by any means, the community that April and Sterling belonged to - the obscenely wealthy, devotedly Christian, and deeply conservative - ran a little smaller.

Not only had they worshipped at the same church since before they could walk, but their families held premium memberships at the same elite country club, they attended all the same schools from preschool to high school, and they spent every summer at the same church camp at which they were now both counselors.

Counselors trapped in the staff house praying for God to free them from their prison of a thunderstorm crashing down around them.

Standing on her tiptoes, phone flashlight in one hand as she strains to see above her, April’s other hand stretches up as she pats down the highest shelf of the closet, brushing over thick cobwebs in the corners and doing its best to avoid any rusty nails sticking out waiting to bite it.

“Have you found one yet?” Sterling calls from outside.

April rolls her eyes at the inane question. “Yes, it’s right here. Can’t you see the brightly lit lantern in my hand? Perhaps you should have your eyes checked.”

Sterling groans. “Sorry, I just thought we would have found one by now. It is a camp supply closet after all,” she says. April hears the fridge door close behind her. “I think the only food in here that will go bad is the guacamole and the cheese dip from the cookout tonight. And maybe this string cheese. Wait, does string cheese go bad?”

April ignores her, continuing her search for a light in the darkness. Her fingers brush a hard plastic and she mentally fist bumps in victory. Her celebration is short-lived, however, as brushing is as close as she can get. Stretching as far as she can, her fingers only graze the plastic, never able to grip it enough to pull it towards the edge of the shelf.

She drops her hand and sighs in defeat, steeling herself for what she knows must come next.

“Wesley, get over here,” she calls.

Sterling gives her a look of annoyance but makes the slow trek towards April anyway.

“Can I help you, your highness?” she asks, crossing her arms.

April stands up a little straighter. “Yes, these shelves are built for giants apparently. The lantern is on that shelf,” she says pointing up.

Sterling stares down at her blankly. “Okay, and?”

April sighs. “And can you use your freakishly long arms to get it for us please? Unless you want to spend the rest of this storm sitting in darkness.”

Sterling shrugs, “Wouldn’t bother me.”

Another roar of thunder sounds in that moment and April yelps, much to her chagrin.

“But perhaps it would bother you,” Sterling says with a raised brow. She takes a couple steps toward the shelf, but April keeps her feet firmly planted, despite standing exactly where the taller girl needs to be. Sterling shakes her head as she moves to stand right next to April so she can reach the shelf, close enough that their sides brush against each other. April holds her breath as Sterling stretches up and around her and clears her throat as the other girl comes back down, lantern in hand.

“Your highness,” Sterling bows her head as she hands the light to April. April purses her lips as she takes it from her.

“Thank you.”

Sterling scoffs, amused, and turns around. She grabs a bag of tortilla chips from the top of the fridge before she returns to the table where she’d laid out the rest of the food.

“Do you want any of this?” she asks, gesturing to the guacamole and the cheese dip. “I’m about to go to _town_ on Blair’s guacamole. I promised her I wouldn’t eat it all on my break tonight, but clearly God had other plans.”

April follows her to the table, placing the lantern in the center of it before clicking it on. “I despise guacamole. The cheese dip, however, I will eat.” She sits down next to Sterling, retrieves a chip from the bag, and slides the bowl towards herself before taking a scoop. Sterling is already on her way to making a decent dent in the large bowl of guacamole.

Despite the raging storm outside the small staff house, the crunch of chips in their mouths seems to fill the room as their silence grows louder and more awkward with every passing second.

Sterling pulls her phone from her pocket and opens it up while she continues munching down chips and guac. With a small glance to the side, April can see her finger swiping against pieces of fruit flying across the screen.

April pulls out her phone in kind, if only for something to put her attention towards. As she opens Instagram and begins scrolling, however, her mind begins to wander anyway.

She considers the girl sitting next to her whom she has known for as long as she can remember.

She considers the girl she used to know, used to call her best friend. The girl she saved seats for at lunch, invited to her house for sleepovers, and took day trips to Six Flags with. The girl that she once spent a whole day with at the zoo, running around exhibits and taking ridiculous selfies with the animals. She thinks of how she came home that night with a smile on her face, how she wrote in her journal that she thought it was the best day she’d ever had in her life. That Sterling was her favorite person in the world.

April shakes her head away from those thoughts. That was not the girl sitting next to her now. As far as she was concerned, that girl died along with their friendship in the fifth grade.

“What are you thinking about?” Sterling asks. April stiffens with the realization that she’s being perceived.

“I…It’s...” April chides herself for stumbling over her words. “Nothing. None of your business.”

Sterling nods, “Oh, well, I was thinking about something Julianna mentioned today at the cookout. About how she and Rachel got into a fight over who would get to marry some YouTuber, and Julianna said they’d never be friends again after that.” A hint of sadness in her voice betrays Sterling, and April narrows her eyes at where this is going. Surely she isn’t going to make this about them.

“Children,” April dismisses. “Everything is the end of the world to them.”

“Right, exactly,” Sterling agrees. “Children.” Sterling looks like she wants to say more, so April turns back to her phone, suddenly deeply invested in Margot Carroll’s throwback Thursday to when she visited the Maldives with her parents last summer.

April keeps her breathing steady and her gaze forward as she wills the moment to pass. After a few more seconds, she thinks maybe it has. And then -

“April.”

She doesn’t react, doesn’t move. Maybe Sterling will get the hint and -

“April,” she says again.

April sighs and turns to look at her. “Yes?”

“Can we...talk?”

“We talk all the time, Sterling. We see each other far too often for my taste, in fact. And somehow we even ended up working together this summer, despite the fact that I explicitly told Ellen that I preferred to work -”

“I requested to work with you,” Sterling interrupts.

“I…you what?” April stutters. She and Sterling are sworn enemies. Sterling knows this. Sterling made it happen. Why would she request they work together when that goes against their entire dynamic?

“I requested to work with you,” Sterling repeats. “I went to Ellen’s office and I specifically asked her if I could be assigned a unit with you this week. She thought it was a great idea, actually. Something about how Blair and I need to branch out and how you and I make a great team. Then she hugged me and told me she loved me. You know Ellen.”

“Yes, I know Ellen, but I don’t know you apparently,” April says. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I…” Sterling blinks a few times before she swallows and says, “Because I’m going to college next year, and so are you, and there won’t be any more Fellowship or Forensics. There won’t even be Sunday School and luncheons at the club because I’ll be in Athens with Blair, and it’s an hour and a half away, and that’s just not a realistic commute. So very soon we will not be seeing each other all the time, and very soon we won’t have another chance to heal whatever is left of our relationship. And April, I don’t know what happened to us, but I don’t want to leave it like this. Okay?”

April’s mouth falls open as she absorbs Sterling’s words.

“I don’t know what you want from me here, Sterling.”

“Like I said. I just want to talk.”

April holds her gaze for a moment, weighing her options. She once again considers the girl in front of her, and she considers the friend she used to have. She considers her sworn enemy and the girl going off to college with nothing to lose.

She looks out the window. The rain continues to beat against the glass incessantly, completely blurring any view they would have had outside under the dark night sky. Maybe, for just one night, she can do this. With a long exhale, she tries to let the instinctual fight and anger she reserves especially for Sterling leave her body. April sighs, still looking out the window.

“Okay.”

She can hear the relief in Sterling’s voice when she says, “Okay.”

* * *

Another low rumbling of thunder sounds outside as April picks at a loose thread on the arm of the couch where they’ve relocated for their “talk”. Sterling sits on the opposite end of the sofa, facing April with her bare feet up on the cushion, knees to her chest.

April keeps her eyes on the thread when she says, “So…”

“So…” Sterling echoes.

“This was your idea, Sterl,” April says, taking herself by surprise with the nickname said not in sarcasm but familiarity. She blinks, “You wanted to talk. Let’s talk.”

“Sorry,” Sterling starts. “I’m just...nervous, I guess. But you’re right.” She takes a breath and pulls her knees even closer to herself. “I guess I just wondered where it all went wrong? I mean, we were _best friends_ when we were kids. And now we’re...well, unfriendly associates would put it nicely.”

“I prefer sworn enemies,” April offers.

“Great, ‘sworn enemies’ then. I’m serious, April,” Sterling says. “What happened?”

April turns to look at her, eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean, ‘What happened?’” she demands. “You happened!”

“I happened? What does that mean?”

“It means you’re the reason we’re not friends anymore, Sterling. You know that.” She knew this talk with Sterling would be hard, but April didn’t think she’d have to relive one of the worst times of her life. She turns away from the other girl, crosses her arms, and finds a spot on the other side of the room to focus on so she doesn’t have to look at her anymore.

“I don’t...April, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Bullcrap. She knows exactly what she did.

“I’m talking about fifth grade. I’m talking about recess when you gave me away. Literally gave me away to another group because you didn’t want to hang out with me anymore.”

“April, I truly don’t remember -”

“Cut the crap, Sterling!” April snaps, turning to face her now. “In fifth grade, you gave me away to Jessica’s group. You and Blair and Hannah S and Hannah G were playing soccer, and I went to sit on the swings and memorize the Republican presidents. Then you came up to me, grabbed my hand, and walked me over to Jessica and told her I was in her group now. It was intentional and specific. You gave me away.”

April can feel her heart beat against her chest. Her nostrils flare as she lets out a shaky breath, still holding Sterling’s eyes, refusing to turn away this time. Sterling stares back, her mouth gaping open and closed. She looks pained but confused.

“That’s...that’s not how I remember it,” Sterling says. “I wasn’t _giving you away_ , I was giving you someone else to play with because you didn’t like soccer. You said European football was pedestrian. And you looked so lonely sitting on the swings while the rest of us played so I...I thought you could play with Jessica’s group. I wasn’t...I would never...April, I’m so sorry.”

“You...you what?” April says, shaking her head.

“I’m so sorry, April. I am so sorry I made you think that.”

“No,” April says. “No, no. You...you gave me away. You told Jessica, ‘April’s in your group now,’ and then you left. You walked away.”

Sterling shakes her head, desperate. She almost looks like she might cry. “I don’t remember it like that. I just remember that I didn’t want you to be alone anymore. I’m so sorry.”

“Please stop saying that,” April mumbles, trying to gather her thoughts.

Sterling reaches out to her, and April jerks away, standing to put more space between them.

“I...I need a minute,” she says before walking to the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Finally alone, she tries to clear her mind and make sense of what she just heard. Sterling’s words echo in her mind.

_I wasn’t giving you away, I was giving you someone else to play with._

Could that be true? April replays that day in her head the same way she’s played it over and over again a million times before. But this time with a new perspective. A new possibility.

_I didn’t want you to be alone anymore._

She shakes her head. She doesn’t know.

April takes another deep breath and walks over to the mirror, placing her hands on either side of the sink.

“Pull yourself together, Stevens,” she says, barely a whisper as to ensure Sterling won’t hear her talking to herself from outside.

Closing her eyes, she works through the memory, slowly. She thinks of sitting on the swings, notebook in hand with each of the Republican presidents and their respective years in office written neatly across the page. She thinks of Sterling walking towards her from the field where everyone was playing soccer. She thinks of the evil smirk she had when she took her hand and walked her over to Jessica. Or - no. Was it an evil smirk?

She plays it again.

She thinks of the swings. She thinks of Sterling. She sees Sterling take her hand. She tries to remember her face. She can see an evil smirk in her head, but with this new information she begins to question whether it’s a true memory or a fabrication based on years of replaying the worst day of her life in her mind over and over again, sitting in the misery and letting her anger grow and fester.

Swings. Sterling. Hand. Jessica.

What really happened?

April rubs her hands over her face and groans. She leans her back against the wall behind her and lets herself slide down to the floor.

She straightens her legs out in front of her and stretches her neck, left and then right. Letting out a long breath, she plays the scene in her head one more time.

* * *

The storm outside thrashes on steadily when April emerges from the bathroom. Sterling immediately stands from the same spot on the couch where April had left her 20 minutes earlier. She looks scared, but expectant. Ready to hear what April has to say.

April takes a deep breath and begins. “I’ve been...reflecting. And I’ve come to the conclusion that...well, I’m not ready to make a conclusion. It was a long time ago, but I was very affected, to say the least. I’ve heard your side of things, and I am open to the possibility that the situation was not as black and white as I remember it. However, I just…” she sighs, finally, letting herself break just a little. “I need a little more time, Sterling.”

Sterling nods and blinks a few times when she says, “Yeah, okay. That - that’s good with me.”

April nods her head once before she returns to sit on the couch. Sterling takes her place as well.

“So…” April says once again.

“So…” Sterling repeats. She laughs, and April laughs with her. They’re still trapped in the staff house until the storm lets up, but the mood has shifted since they talked. It feels...lighter.

A loud clap of thunder fills the room and April jumps, her body freezing as she works through the fleeting panic running through her. She knows her fear must show on her face because more than anything Sterling just looks concerned, her mouth going through a series of random shapes as she tries to find something to say or do. Her brows raise just a little when she lands on an idea.

“Do you want to play a game?”

April laughs, her surprise at the suggestion pushing her fears to the back of her mind. “What, like...truth or dare?”

Sterling grins, “I really meant twenty questions or something, but sure.” She meets April’s eyes, and her smile falters for a moment so brief that April thinks she might have imagined it.

Then she smirks, “Truth or dare?”

April laughs again, trying to figure out how serious Sterling is. “You’re joking, right?” she asks.

“No, I'm completely serious!” she says. “We’re stuck here for the Lord knows how long, we had a huge breakthrough in our relationship, long-term results yet to be seen, and we’re going off to college next year, leaving this summer as the very last of our naive youth before the real world sets in and we’re thrust into adulthood forever.”

“That seems like a lot of pressure for one game of truth or dare,” April deadpans.

Sterling rolls her eyes, “Just answer the question, Stevens.”

April laughs, but surrenders. “Okay, okay. Truth.”

Sterling smiles and sits up straighter, cocking her head to the side as she considers what question to ask April.

“Okay, I’ve got it,” Sterling says. “What do you want to major in at college?”

April raises her eyebrows. “Seriously? That’s your question?”

“Yes, seriously! I want to know!”

April shrugs, “I’m doing a double major in English and Philosophy before I go to law school.”

“Oh no way, me too!” Sterling exclaims. “Law school, I mean. Except I’m doing political science with a minor in criminal justice.” She grins, “Maybe we’ll see each other again in four years.”

April nods, “Maybe we will.”

“Okay, well, it’s your turn now. One sec, I’m gonna go grab the chips and dip,” she says, standing. “You think about what you want to ask me because my answer is also truth, and I just gave you a freebie with that college major info.” Sterling gives April an exaggerated wink and makes her way to the table on the other side of the room. April racks her brain for what question she should ask.

Sterling had kept it pretty neutral asking about college, and while there are things April wouldn’t mind asking the other girl, she figures she should meet her at whatever level she’s at. By the time Sterling returns, however, clumsily balancing the two bowls of dips and a bag of chips, April still hasn’t thought of anything.

“Okay,” Sterling says, plopping down on the couch just before she hands April the bowl of cheese dip and places the bag of chips in the space on the couch between them. “Truth, what’s my question?” She takes a chip and scoops up a huge glob of guacamole before eating it in one bite.

“Um,” April says lamely. “What’s your greatest fear?” She mentally facepalms herself.

Sterling, for her part, looks thoughtful. “Oh! Hmm,” she considers, scooping up another helping of guacamole before taking a bite. “Probably Blair dying if I’m being honest.” She grabs another chip from the bag. “Yeah,” she says with a swallow. “That’s probably the worst thing that could ever happen to me.”

April nods. That answer makes sense, actually.

“Okay, my turn!” Sterling says. “Truth….or dare?” she finishes dramatically.

April does her best not to roll her eyes at that. She fails, however. “Truth, please.”

“Truth, truth, truth, okay. Let me think…” Sterling taps a finger against her lips thoughtfully. April watches that finger with little to no interest.

“Okay, so truth,” Sterling begins. “What’s the biggest lie you've ever told?”

April freezes. _That I’m straight_ , her brain answers for her. She thinks back to her time in the straight-straight alliance. It was as recent as last month but it already feels like a lifetime ago. She’s glad the days of overcompensating for her sexuality are behind her. College holds the promise of a new life, a new world where she can be herself. Proud and open. She’s been waiting for it for a long time.

She looks at Sterling, and for just a moment, considers telling her the truth. Telling her biggest secret to this person she’s known her whole life. Opening herself up, laying herself bare, seeing what happens. A test run for days soon to come.

“The biggest lie I've ever told is that I…that I’m...” she gulps. “That I find Ezekiel’s jokes funny. The price you pay for friendship, I suppose.” Her new life can start after camp.

“Ah!” Sterling says. “That’s, um, yeah. I suppose so.” She laughs awkwardly.

April smiles. “My turn,” she says weakly. “Unless you don’t want to play anymore?”

“No, no!” Sterling says quickly. “I still want to play.”

“Okay. Truth or dare?” April asks.

“Truth.”

April bites her lip, nodding as she searches her brain for another question. She considers what it is she wants to ask Sterling. What she wants to know.

“What’s, um...what’s your biggest regret?”

She thinks of all the years they spent not being friends. She thinks of how one day in fifth grade Sterling walked April over to a group of girls, dropped her off, and then they weren’t friends anymore. She wants to know if that sits with her. If after learning how April experienced that day she feels any differently. If she feels any fault for what happened.

Sterling looks thoughtful. The bowl of guacamole sits in her lap, and she fiddles with it, thoughtlessly rotating it clockwise and counter-clockwise, back and forth. Sterling swallows and looks at April.

“I think my biggest regret is…” she breathes in. She holds the breath.

 _Here it comes_ , April thinks.

“That I never dated anyone else,” Sterling lets out.

April can’t keep from furrowing her brows at that. “Oh, um. Okay. I mean, I know you dated Luke for a long time, but then didn’t you date Chase Holten for a little while too last year?”

Sterling nods, “Um, yeah, I did. I did date Chase. I mean...what I mean to say is...my regret...you see, um…” she trails off.

April looks at her skeptically. She has no idea what she’s getting at.

Sterling looks miserable. “I regret that I didn’t date anyone _else_ ,” she tries.

April narrows her eyes. “Right…”

Sterling groans, “I regret that I didn’t date any _girls_.”

April chokes.

“You...you…” April struggles to form a full sentence. “You want to date, um...girls?”

Did Sterling somehow read her mind, know what she was thinking earlier? Is this a joke at her expense?

“I mean, I don’t know,” Sterling stammers. “Personally, I don’t believe that God would have a problem with it, and it’s something I’ve thought about...a lot. And I don’t know why I told you except you asked what my biggest regret is, and that’s my honest answer, and suddenly I feel like I might have overshared, and if you could just forget this, that would be great. Thanks!”

“Sterling, I…” April isn’t sure how to respond, but Sterling looks so nervous, she knows she needs to say something. “I don’t believe that God would have a problem with it either.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” April says, more resolutely now. “God made all of us exactly how He wanted. We’re all a part of His master plan.” April smiles. “Gays, straights, and everyone in between.”

“Cool,” Sterling nods, letting out a breath of relief. “Thanks, April.”

“Sure.”

Behind her smile, her mind reels with this new information. Sterling Wesley likes girls? Wants to date girls? This changes...everything. Wait, no. Why would it change anything? This changes nothing.

“Well,” Sterling laughs self-consciously, pulling April from her spiral. “I think it’s my turn now.”

“Bring it on,” April exhales.

Sterling beams at her. “Truth or dare?”

April pauses to think. Despite years of choosing truths over dares to avoid prank phone calls and streakings across front lawns, truth suddenly seems like the more dangerous option.

So she meets Sterling’s eyes when she says, “Truth.”

“Truth,” Sterling repeats. “Truth.” She pauses, considering April. April feels the urge to squirm under her gaze, but remains still. Finally Sterling says, “What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?”

April's mouth falls open. “I...I told you -”

“Yeah, you told me you laugh at Ezekiel’s jokes. I think that answer might be your biggest lie now.” Sterling grins at her, eyebrow raised.

“Right,” April laughs. She takes a deep breath. Sterling opened up to her and then gave her an opening to do the very same herself. She wonders briefly if Sterling knows about her already, wonders how she could. She’s never told anyone before.

“I, um...” April takes a deep breath, finds her nerve, and clings to it. “My biggest lie is...a lot like your biggest regret.”

Sterling blinks a few times but otherwise keeps a blank face, waiting for April to finish.

“I’m...” April starts. She closes her eyes and takes yet another deep breath, in through her nose, out through her mouth. She can do this. It’s practice for college. And Sterling literally just bared her own soul in the very same way. It’s quid pro quo. She opens her eyes.

“The biggest lie I’ve ever told is...that I’m straight.”

“Wow,” Sterling breathes out. “That’s um...wow. Okay.”

April reaches into the bag of chips, suddenly interested in the cheese dip that’s sat untouched in her lap this whole time. “Yep, so...there’s that.” She dunks her chip into the bowl and takes a bite.

“Yeah,” Sterling replies. She grabs another chip from the bag herself and dips into the guacamole. “There it is.”

“So,” April says. “Another round?” The air has shifted yet again, and she doesn’t want her confession to be the last thing hanging in it.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sterling says, covering her mouth with her hand as she chews. “Let’s do it.”

“Okay.” April takes a breath. “Truth or dare?”

Sterling swallows, “Truth.”

April considers her for a moment, then asks, “Why haven’t you picked dare yet?”

Sterling stills, looking at her. “Why haven’t you?”

“I believe it’s still my turn,” April challenges with a raised brow.

Sterling grins. “Well, maybe you should have picked a better question.”

Aprils scoffs, grinning back. “It’s my question to waste, thank you very much.”

“What did you ask again?”

April opens her mouth to repeat the question, then pauses. She’s feeling brave, so instead she says, “What do you want to dare me to do?”

Sterling gapes for just a moment. “That...” she blushes. “That wasn’t it.”

April smirks, satisfied to have earned a reaction. “Okay.”

Sterling narrows her eyes. “Okay,” she says slowly.

April leans over to set the bowl of cheese dip on the coffee table in front of them, scooting a little closer to Sterling in the process. “You go,” she says, forgoing the rest of her turn.

Sterling looks surprised but intrigued. “Okay. Truth or dare?”

A crooked smile takes residence across April’s face when she answers, “Dare,” like it’s a challenge.

Sterling opens her mouth. Closes it. Then opens it again and says, “I...dare you to finish the rest of the guacamole.”

April’s own mouth falls open. “Wait, what? Sterling.”

“April,” she mimics back.

“Seriously?” she whines.

“I am always serious about Blair’s guacamole,” Sterling replies solemnly. “And besides it’s not that much, honestly. I ate most of it already while you were in the bathroom.”

April groans but accepts her fate, reaching into the chip bag to pull one out. Sterling beams and gives a high-pitched, “Yay!” She scoots a little closer to April to share the bowl of guacamole in her lap with her.

Sterling was telling the truth when she said there wasn’t a lot left, but there is still a decent-sized blob of green mush at the bottom of the bowl. April scrunches her nose in disgust as she scoops a little bit onto her chip.

“Okay, we’ll be here all night if you get wimpy little portions like that,” Sterling comments. “Load that sucker up!”

April looks at her pointedly, chip still in hand. “I’m sampling it, thank you. I deserve to know what I’m dealing with here.”

Sterling holds up her hands in defense. “Okay, okay. Carry on.” She looks at her expectantly then, far too invested for April’s liking in her first taste of this...concoction.

April sighs. Might as well get it over with. She brings the chip to her mouth and pauses at the entrance before she bites down on it and chews.

It’s…fine? “Hm,” she says, a hint of surprise in her tone.

“Well?!” Sterling asks, eyes excited.

April swallows the rest of the bite. “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be flavor-wise, but I still find the texture appalling.”

Sterling nods, a thoughtful frown on her face. “Okay, that’s...fair, I guess.” She picks up the bag of chips and scoots closer once again, this time so she’s nearly touching April, but not quite. April can feel the air between them move with the sweep of Sterling’s arm as she reaches into the chip bag and pulls one out.

“Let's do this,” Sterling says, holding out the chip bag for April to grab her own. She does so and takes another small scrape of guacamole, tentatively biting, chewing, and swallowing yet again. Sterling watches her carefully as she does so, then clears her throat and follows with her own chip but uses the long edge of it to scoop up the rest of the mushy green blob onto the small triangle.

April laughs. Sterling grins at her as she stuffs half of it into her mouth and takes a bite. April finds it completely disgusting and laughs even harder.

Sterling swallows and says, “Listen, I’m not gonna let perfectly good guacamole go to waste on someone who can’t appreciate it.” She winks at her and finishes the rest of the chip.

April laughs and shakes her head. She looks at Sterling and is filled with affection. For this girl that she thought she understood, thought she knew everything she needed to know about her. When in fact, her own secrets run as deep as April’s.

Sterling gulps down some water from her canteen before she empties her lap of the rest of the chips and dip. Clearing her throat, she looks up and catches April’s eyes.

April considers looking away, but Sterling gives a small smile and shows no sign of breaking eye contact herself. The rain drums against the roof above them, its steady rhythm the soundtrack for their prolonged gazing.

Just then, lightning flashes and another crack of thunder booms over them. April once again jumps in her seat.

“Good Lord Almighty!” she exclaims. “This has got to be the longest thunderstorm in history. How is it still…”

April trails off when she realizes her hand is clutching something. Or not something so much as someone. Sterling. Her hand is clutching Sterling’s hand.

Right now. In this current moment. She’s still doing it, she has not let go, and her brain is so swirly from this information, she can’t seem to do anything but stare at them. At their...hands.

Her hand on top of Sterling’s. Fingers intertwined. April’s clinging tighter than they should. First frozen in fear, now frozen in...nothing. No frozen.

Get it together, April!

“Sorry, I - I don’t know why I did that,” she stammers out. “I have a small, mostly just inconvenient fear of thunderstorms if you couldn’t tell. I’m managing, but my body reacts before my brain sometimes. Anyway, I’m fine, so I will just remove my hand -”

“No, um. It’s okay. If - if you want,” Sterling says, voice betraying a few nerves herself.

Oh, April wants. She nods at Sterling, mouth suddenly too dry to speak. She looks down at their hands again. Sterling turns hers over so April’s palm is in hers. She rubs her thumb over April’s fingers, one at a time, comforting her. April thinks her heart might beat out of her chest. She looks up at Sterling, who’s already looking at her.

“So...” she says with a smile.

“So...” April repeats, her own crooked smile beaming back. “Are we still playing?”

“How about one more round?”

April nods, “Okay. Truth or dare?”

Sterling tilts her head a nudge. “Truth,” she says.

April smiles, question ready. “What do you want to dare me to do?” she asks again.

Sterling stares at her for a moment, eyes flicking back and forth between April’s.

“Kiss me,” she whispers.

April smiles, “Okay.”

With no hesitation, April closes the distance between them and captures Sterling’s lips in a soft kiss.

Sterling sighs into it, kissing her back, and April has to stop herself from smiling too big. They start out slow, gentle, catching each other's lips between their own. Sterling’s hand that isn’t tangled with April’s comes up to cup the back of her neck, pulling her in closer, and April moves her free hand to Sterling’s waist in kind. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thinks to herself that Sterling smells like their earlier campfire and she doesn’t want to forget that.

Sterling moves to favor April’s bottom lip, her teeth grazing to the point that it drives April crazy. She parts her lips just enough to give warning before slipping her tongue into Sterling’s mouth. April’s hand finds smooth skin under a shirt that seems to rise higher and higher all by itself, and then Sterling is pulling away, panting like she stopped breathing all together. April grins when she realizes she’s doing the same.

“Okay,” Sterling breathes out, grinning back just to mirror April.

April licks her lips. “Okay,” she repeats.

“That was, um...a really good game of Truth or Dare, I think,” Sterling nods.

April laughs, “I would have to agree with that assessment. Maybe we could play again sometime?”

“Maybe just skip to the dare,” Sterling says, leaning in.

April nods as she tilts her head towards Sterling’s. “Yeah, maybe,” she mumbles just before meeting Sterling’s lips with her own.

**Author's Note:**

> what did y'all think? I'm on twitter as @crumbnapkin crying about this show 24/7 if anyone is interested. peace out!


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